Rice Seafood Casserole
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup onions, diced
- 1/2 stick butter or margarine
- 1/2 can Rotel tomatoes
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can small shrimp or crabmeat or both
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- bread crumbs
- parsley for garnishment
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 casserole dish with butter or cooking spray.
- In a heavy duty aluminum pot or skillet, melt the butter over low heat. Add the chopped green onions and diced white onions. Sauté with a wooden spoon until onions are transparent, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the Rotel tomatoes and cream of mushroom soup to the pot. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the crabmeat, shrimp, or both. Gently fold in the cooked rice, being careful not to break up the seafood too much. Add the Worcestershire sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared 9x9 casserole dish and sprinkle the top generously with bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, until the casserole is bubbly and the bread crumbs are golden brown. Garnish with sprigs of fresh parsley before serving.
Common Problems and Solutions
Q: Why is my casserole dry?
A: Make sure your rice is freshly cooked or slightly moist—day-old dried-out rice will soak up too much liquid. If it looks dry before baking, add a splash of milk or seafood stock to the mixture.
Q: Can I use fresh seafood instead of canned?
A: Absolutely! Use about 1 cup of cooked, peeled shrimp or picked crabmeat. Just make sure it's already cooked before folding it in, since the casserole only bakes for 30 minutes.
Tips and Techniques
Don’t overmix when you fold in that seafood—you want chunks of shrimp and crab, not mush. And if you’re using canned seafood, drain it well so your casserole doesn’t get watery.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Rotel tomatoes: 1 can diced tomatoes + a pinch of cayenne pepper
- cream of mushroom soup: cream of celery soup or make a simple white sauce with butter, flour, and milk
- canned seafood: 1 cup cooked fresh shrimp or lump crabmeat
Equipment Needed
- Heavy duty aluminum pot or skillet
- 9x9 casserole dish
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons
Historical Context
Casseroles became popular in Louisiana as a way to stretch expensive ingredients like seafood by combining them with rice. The addition of cream of mushroom soup reflects mid-century American convenience cooking that blended seamlessly into Cajun home kitchens.
